Arctic sea ice at record low January levels

Study of polar bears on dwindling Arctic sea ice finds they are losing weight when they should be packing on the pounds. Some bears lost 3 to 5 pounds a day at the time when normally they beef up. Scientists say global warming is to blame. (Feb. 1)
AP

In this undated file photo, a polar bear is shown in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.(Photo: SUBHANKAR BANERJEE, AP)

The Arctic has warmed more dramatically than any place on Earth. "While there is always large variability in the Arctic winter, the 'persistence' of the above-average temperatures is quite striking in the last few years," said Zack Labe, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Irvine.

Sea ice in the Arctic affects wildlife such as polar bears, seals and walruses. It also helps regulate the planet’s temperature by influencing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean. It can affect weather in the U.S.

The amount of sea ice in the Arctic has steadily declined over the past few decades because of man-made global warming, according to NOAA.

"Greenhouse gases emitted through human activities and the resulting increase in global mean temperatures are the most likely underlying cause of the sea ice decline," the National Snow and Ice Data Center said.

Arctic sailor David Thoreson was stunned by the lack of ice up there: "I have sailed boats through it but never this time of year," he said. "It's amazing to watch this unfold. It is a profound climate change to our earth's environment."

And it's not only Arctic sea ice that's melting. The opposite side of the globe was experienced a near record low last month: Antarctic sea ice extent in January was 17.4% below average, the second-smallest January ice cover on record behind only 2017, NOAA said.

NOAA's report also said that despite the cooling influence of La Niña this winter, the global temperature was the fifth-warmest on record for January.

It was also the 42nd consecutive January (since 1977) and the 397th consecutive month (since January 1985) with temperatures above the 20th-century average, NOAA added.